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Preliminary data on fish fauna in small marine lake on Lokrum island – special reserve and Natura 2000 site, Croatia

Fish assemblage of small and shallow marine lake called the Dead Sea, on Lokrum Island (Dubrovnik, Croatia) were investigated from March to July 2017 by using visual census. This salt lake is actually a cave that collapsed in the geological past and is connected to the sea by a submerged channel. Lokrum Island is a special reserve of forest vegetation since 1948. Today the island (72 ha) and the sea-belt (approx. 150 m) are also Natura 2000 site which includes eight Natura 2000 habitat types. Geomorphological phenomenon Dead Sea with its pit hole and the channel that connects the marine lake to the open sea is a Natura 2000 habitat type - Submerged or partially submerged sea caves. In spite of long natural history tradition in this area, there are no data on the biodiversity of Dead Sea. At least 15 fish species were recorded, of which some are listed on the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species: Chromis chromis, Tripterygion melanurum, Muraena helena, Scorpaena porcus, Microlipophrys dalmatinus, Diplodus vulgaris, Diplodus puntazzo, Sparus aurata. The main geostructural characteristic of Dead Sea (openness to light) significantly affect the species richness and fish assemblage structures inside. The species richness generally displayed a similar pattern with the nearby outer sea, whereas the patterns of fish abundance varied among species. Rare and cave exclusive species were not reported from this preliminary study. Although the natural values of the Lokrum Island represent unique whole of land and sea, Public Institution Lokrum Reserve does not currently manage the entire sea area of Natura 2000 Lokrum site. Therefore, this preliminary data represent guidelines not only for fish fauna conservation, but also with implications for conservation and management of Natura 2000 marine habitat types of Lokrum Island.

fish fauna ; conservation ; Natura 2000 ; Lokrum Island

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